Switch with position maintainer means



Sept. 10, 1968 J. N. GROW-:s 3,401,240

` SWITCH WITH POSITION MAINTAINER MEANS Filed sept. 14, 195e F|G 2 i /HS FIG.I. 77,

n 29 15,- 3| 27 :L 39 ...3L-i) k 4| 1I 4 5 '7 It 45 89 47 49 I E 5| 5| i l 77 I 77 i 55 53 i l izl I l I e5 57 I al 59 gl l 5| '92| :l 8| l N73 7| '9 2| 'O9 u2 H 6' ||2 'O9 2| FIGB O n United States Patent O 3,401,240 SWITCH WITH POSITION MAINTAINER MEANS John N. Groves, Beaver, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 579,419 12 Claims. (CI. 200-6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved switch is constructed wit-h means for converting the switch for either maintained-position or momentary-position operation. The switch comprises four separate contact devices supported between .a front support and a back support plate, and a switch operator that is supported on the front support for movement as a unit between an initial position and four separate operating positions t-o operate the contact devices.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved switch with improved means for converting the switch for either maintained-position or momentary-position operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved switch having a manually operable operator that is biased to an initial position and that can be manually operated to an actuated position to operate the switch contacts, which switch comprises improved means that can be converted to either maintain the switch operator in the actuated position upon release thereof or to provide that the switch operator will be automatically moved back to the initial position when released.

Another object of this invention is to provide an irnproved switch comprising four contact devices and an improved switch operator for selectively and operating the four contact devices,

Another object of this invention is to provide `an improved switch -comprising four contact devices and -a switch operator for separately operating the four contact devices, which switch comprises improved means that can be selectively used to provide either maintained-position or momentary-position operation.

Another object of this invention .is to provide an improved dependable switch that is relatively inexpensive-to manufacture.

This invention, both as to structure `and operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view, taken generally along the line I--I of FIG. 3, of a switch constructed in accordance with principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is -a sectional view taken generally along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the switch of FIG. 1;v

FIG. 4 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of a part of the switch operator seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is ya partial view, with parts broken away, similar to FIG. 1 illustrating one of the `actuated positions of the switch; Iand FIG, 6 is a side view, with parts broken away, of one of the contact devices seen in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown therein a switch 3 comprising supporting means 5. Four contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13, and :a switch operating means 15 `are mounted on the support means 5.

The support means 5 comprises an upper support member 17 and a lower support plate 19, which members are 3,401,240 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 connected by a plurality of screws 21. Each of the contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13 is provided with two openings therein for receiving two of the screws 21 that are used to draw the lower plate 19 toward the upper support 17 to secure the lower plate 19, upper support 17 and contact devices together The upper support 17 is provided with a cylindrical threaded neck portion 25 that is passed up through an opening in a panel plate 27, and a threaded clamp ring 29 is screwed over the threaded neck portion 25 to draw the support 17 up toward the panel plate 27 to thereby mount the support 17 on the panel 27. A name plate 31 may be positioned between the upper front surface of the panel plate 27 and the clamp ring 29, and a pair of exible O-rings 33 may be positioned between a lower shoulder portion of the support 17 and the under surface of the support plate 27.

The switch operator 15 comprises an elongated shaft 37 that extends through a cavity 39 in the support member 17. The shaft 37 is provided 'with la pivot part 41 having upper and lower surfaces 43 that are shaped to coop.- erate with a curved surface 45 on the support part 17 and a curved surface 47 on a support part 49 that is secured to the support part 17 by means of screws 51. The pivot part 41 is pivotally supported in the opening in the parts 1`7, 49 for limited universal type movement with the support part 41 cooperating with the surfaces 45, 47 to provide a ball-joint type of pivot. The shaft 15 is provided with a threaded part 53 at the lower end thereof, and an operating member 55 is placed onto the part 53 and retained in ya fixed position on the member 37 by means of a threaded support member 57 that is threaded onto the shaft 53. The support member 57 is provided With an opening at the l-ower end thereof, and la biasing spring 59 is positioned in the opening. A position retaining member `61 iits over the member 57 and is supported thereon for limited axial movement by means of a pin 63 that passes through openings in the vmembers 61, 57 and 53. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the position maintaining member 61 is provided with an opening y65 that is larger than pin 63 to permit limited axial movement of the member 61 on the support part 57. The member 61 operates as a position-maintaining member in :a manner to be hereinafter described. A llexible bellows-type insulating sealing member 67 is provided at the front side of the operating shaft 37 to seal off the internal parts of the switch, and a handle member `69 is secured to the outer front end of the shaft 37 to provide for manual operation of the operator 15 in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The -contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13 are identical in construction. Thus, only the contact device `7 will be specifically described, it being understood that the description applies to all four of the contact devices, The contact device 7 comprises an insulating housing 69 comprising a molded insulating housing part 71 and a molded insulating cover 73. The contact device 7 is shown in FIG. 6 with the cover 73 removed to disclose the internal parts of the contact device. A pair of stationary contacts 75 are secured to spaced stationary terminals 77 and stationarily supporting on the housing part 73, A lower pair of spaced stationary contacts '79 are secured to :a pair of spaced stationary terminals 81 and stationarily supported in the housing part 73. A moving bridging contact member 83, having upper contacts 85 -and lower contacts 87 at the opposite ends thereof, is supported in a window opening in Ian insulating contact operating member 89 that is rectilinearly movable in a vertical direction (FIG. 6) to move the bridging contact member 83 between an upper position wherein the movable contacts 85 engage the stationary contacts -and a lower position wherein the contacts 87 engage the contacts 79, A spring member 91 is provided lfor contact pressure, and a spring 93 is provided to bias the bridging contact member 83 and contact operating member 89 upward to the position seen in FIG. 6. As was previously se't forth, the insulating housing part 73 is provided with elongated openings therein for receiving thescrew's 21 (FIGS. 1 and 3) that are used to secure the Contact device 7 to the support means 5. The insulating contact operator 89 protrudes out through the top of the housing 73 -for operation in a manner t-o be hereinafter described.

Two generally U-shaped spring members 97 and 99 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 5) are secured to the back plate 19 by means of a rivet 100. Four screw-type position maintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 are threaded into suitable tapped openings in the base plate 19. Each of `the position maintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 is provided with an internal rounded nub part 109 (FIGS. 1 and 5) for receiving a notch 110 in the position-maintaining member 61 to maintain the actuated position of the switch in a manner to be hereinafter described. Each of the position maintainers is provided with a slot 112 (FIG. l) for receiving the blade of a screwdriver.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the member 55 comprises four arms 111, 113, 115 and 117 for cooperating wit-h the four contact operators 89 of the four contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13. The upper support member 17 comprises four spaced supporting parts 121, 123, 125 and 127 formed integral with the main body portion of the support member 17 for receiving the screws 21 (FIGS. 1 and 3) that are used to secure the contact devices and the supporting .parts 17, 19 together. Although the switch operating means 57 is supported for swiveling or universal type pivotal movement by means of the ball-andsocket type of joint 41, 45, 47 (FIG. 1), the four arms 111, 113, 115 and 117 of the member 55 pass through openings between the support parts 121, 123, 125 and 127 of the upper support 17 and they engage the side walls adjacent the openings in `the upper support 17 to limit the switch operator 15 to particular paths of movement for operating the contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13. The engagement of the arms 111, 113, 115 and 117 with the side portions adjacent the openings in the support 117 through which the arms project limits the switch operator for movement about the `ball-and-socket type pivotal support 41, 45, 47 thereof generally along planes that are normal to the plane of the paper as seen in FIG. 2 and that intersect at right angles `at the pivot such that the switch operator 15 is guided for pivotal movement to the right (FIGS. 1 and 2) t-o -operate the contact 7; to the left (FIGS. 1 and 2) to operate the contact device 11; upward (FIG. 2) to operate the contact device 9 and downward (FIG. 2) to operate the contact device 13. It can be understood that the movement of the switch operator is such that in front elevational view the handle 69 appears at the intersection of two perpendicular intersecting imaginary lines in the initial position of the handle and in the four operated positions thereof the handle appears at North, South, East and West positions on the imaginary lines.

The switch is shown with the switch operator 15 in the initial or non-actuated position in FIGS. 1 and 2. When it is desired to operate the contact device 7, a worker grasps the handle 69 and manually moves the switch operyator 15 about the pivot 41, 45, 47 to the right (FIGS 1 and 2) whereupon the arm 111 engages and depresses the contact operator 89 of the contact device 7 to move the bridging contact member 83 (FIG. 6) downward out of engagement with the stationary contacts 75 and into engagement with the stationary contacts 79. During this movement of the switch operator 15, the position-maintaining member 61 engages the one leg of the spring 99 and moves against the bias of the spring 99 to the position seen in FIG. 5. As the switch operator 15 approaches the position seen in FIG. 5 the nub part 109 of the screwtype position maintainer 104 engages a lower inverted frusto-conical cam surface 128 of the member 61 forcing the member 61 upward against the bias of the spring 59, and at the end of this movement the nub part 109 of the position maintainer 104 engages in the notch 110 of the position-maintaining member 61 with the spring 59 forcing the position-maintaining member 61 against the nub part 109 of the position maintainer 104 to retain the switch operator 15 inthe actuated or operated position seen in FIG. 5 after the worker has released the operating handle 69.

When it is desired to operate the switch operator 15 back to the position seen in FIG. 1 'to thereby effect operation of the contact device 7 back to the initial position seen in FIG. 6 the worker forces the handle 69 toward the initial position to overcome the maintaining force of the spring 59 (FIG. 1) that operates to maintain the position-maintaining member 61 in engagement with the nub part 109 of the position maintainer 104, to thereby cam the notch part of the position maintaining member 61 out of engagement with the nub part 109 whereupon the spring 99, and the force exerted by the worker, operate to move the switchl operator 15 back to the position seen in FIG. 1. As the arm 111 of the switch operator 15 releases the contact operator 89 (FIG, 6) of the contact device 7, the spring 93 (FIG. 6) biases the bridging contact member 83 and the conta-ct operator 89 back upward to the position seen in FIG. 6. The springs 97, 99 will maintain the switch operator 15 in the initial position until another manual operation of the switch.

When it is desired to operate the contact device 11 the switch operator 15 is manually pivoted to the left (FIG. l) whereupon the arm depresses the contact operator 89 of the contact device 11, and the position-maintaining member 61 cooperates with the nub part 109 of the position maintainer 101 in the same manner as that hereinbefore described to maintain the switch operator 15 in the actuated or operated position. In this case, the other leg of the U-shaped spring 99 serves to bias the switch operator 15 back to the initial position seen in FIG. l so that when a worker defeats the position maintaining means, the force exerted by the worker and the bias of said other leg of the spring 99 move the switch operator 15 back to the initial position. The operation of the switch to operate the contact devices 9 and 13 is the same as that hereinbefore described with regard to the contact devices 7 and 11 except that during these operations the U-shaped spring 97 biases the switch operator 15 toward the initial position and the handle 69 moves along aplane that intersects the plane along which the handle was moved for operation of the contact devices 7 and 11. As can be understood with reference to FIG. 3, the four position maintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 cooperate with the position maintaining member 61 to maintain the switch operator 15 in the four actuated or operated positions thereof.

The above-described operation is termed a maintainedposition operation in that the switch operator 15 is automatically maintained in each of the four operated positions thereof when a worker releases the handle 69. For some installations, it may be desirable to provide a momentary-position type of operation. In these cases, the screw-type positionmaintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 (FIG. 3) are screwed backward to a position wherein the nub parts 109 (FIG. l), thereof are clear of the path of movement of the position-maintaining member 61 so that when a worker releases the handle 69 after the switch has been operated to any of the four operated positions the associated leg of the associated spring 97 or 99 will automatically bias the switch operator 15 back to the initial positionseen in FIG. 1. It can be understood that the position maintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 can be either rotated back to an inoperative position or completely removed from the back plate 19.

It can be understood that the position maintainers 101, 103, 104 and 105 can be selectively positioned to selectively provide either' maintained or momentary operation at any of the positions in any combination desired.

The contact devices 7, 9, 11 and 13 can be wired to provide desired control in a manner well known in the art. The switch herein disclosed can be used, for eX- ample, when it is desired to electrically control a machine for a stationary position, a forward movement, a backward'movement, a movement to the left and a movement to the right. At this type of installation, the positions seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 would be the unoperated or stationary position; the contact device 9 could be operated for forward movement; the contact device 13 could be operated for reverse or backward movement; the contact device 11 could be operated for movement to the left and the contact device 7 could be operated for movement to the right. The name plate 31 (FIG. 1) could be provided with the indicia to indicate the direction of movement in accordance with the position of the handle 69.

From the foregoing, it can be understood that there is provided by this invention an improved switch with improvedv means for converting the swtich between maintained-position operation and momentary-position operation. Four separate contact devices are operated by an improved operating means comprising a unitary switch operating member that is'mounted for unitary movement in four different directions from an initial unoperated position to four separate operating positions to separately operate the four contact devices. Four screw-type position maintainers can be selectively positioned so that a worker can selectively provide for momentary or maintained operation of the contact devices. The position maintainers cooperate with a single position maintaining member that is part of the unitary switch operator. If desited, the position maintainers can be removed from the back plate to provide for only momentary-position operation of the switch. The switch is readily assembled with four separate contact devices comprising four separate insulating housings that are fixedly secured between the front support and the back support plate.

I claim as my invention:

1. A switch comprising support means, contact means supported on said support means and comprising a stationary contact structure, a movable contact structure operable between unoperated and operated positions relative to said stationary contact structure, a manually movable switch operator supported on said support means, said switch operator being manually movable from an initial position to a first position to effect operation of said movable contact structure, from the unoperated position to the operated position, said switch operator being movable from said first position to said initial position to effect operation of said movable contact structure from said operated position to said unoperated position, means biasing said swtich operator toward said initial position, position-maintaining means, said position-maintaining means operating automatically when a worker manually moves said switch operator to said rst position to maintain said switch operator in said first position upon release of said switch operator by the worker, said switch operator being manually forcible toward said initial position to defeat saidv position-maintaining means whereupon said switch operator is movable back to said initial position, conversion means operable to render said position-maintaining means ineffective whereupon said biasing means automatically moves said switch operator from said first position to said initial position upon release of said switch operator in said first position by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to said first position.

2. A switch according to claim 1, said position maintaining means comprising a position maintainer on said support means and la position maintaining member on said switc'h operator, said position maintainer being positionable in a maintaining position on said support means inthe path of movement of said position maintaining member to Icooperate with said position maintaining member to maintain said switch operator in said first position, and said position maintainer being movable out of said maintaining position whereupon said biasing means automatically moves said switch operator from said first position to said initial position upon release of said switch operator in said first position by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to said first position.

3. A switch according to claim 2, said support means comprising a front support and a back support plate, said back support plate having a tapped opening therein, said position maintainer comprising a threaded member having a projection part at the front thereof and being screwed intro said tapped opening in said maintaining position, said position maintaining member having a notch in the back thereof and being supported on said switch operator, spring means biasing said position lmaintaining member on said switch operator toward said b-ack plate, means limiting movement of said position maintaining member on said switch operator toward said back plate, when said position maintainer is in said maintaining position and said switch operator is moved to said first position, said projection part being in the path of movement of said position maintaining member and engaging said position maintaining member to bias said position maintaining member toward the front of said switch operator until said notch is in line with Said projection part whereupon said position maintaining member moves in the direction toward said projection part to provide a catch between said notch of said position maintainer and said projection part to thereby maintain said switch operator in said first position, said switch operator being manually forcible toward said initial position to thereby force said notch away from said projection part against the bias of said spring whereupon said switch operator is movable back to said initial position, and said position maintainer being movable out of said maintaining position by rotation thereof.

4. A switch according to claim 3, said switch comprising four of said contact means, said switch operator being pivotally movable from said initial position in four different directions to four different positions to similarly cooperate with said four contact means, four of said position maintainers positioned in four tapped openings on said back support plate to similarly cooperate with said position maintaining member, and each of said four position maintainers being independently movable out of maintaining position.

5. A switch comprising support means; four contact devices supported on said support means; each of said contact devices comprising a stationary contact structure, a movable contact structure movable between an open operating position and a closed operating position relative to the associated stationary contact structure, a contact operator depressible from an extended position to a depressed position to operate the associated movable contact structure from an initial operating position to an opera-ted operating position; a switch operator supported on said support means in an initial position; said switch operator being movable as a unit between an initial position and four separate operating positions; said switch operator upon movement thereof to each of said four separate operating posi-tions operating to depress a different one of each of said four contact operating members, means biasing said switch operator toward said initial position; convertible position maintaining means for each of said four separate operating positions convertible between a maintaining position and a non-maintaining position; each of said position maintaining means operating when in the maintaining position to maintain said switch operator in the associated actuated position against the bias of said biasing means upon release of said switch operator by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to the associated position; and each of said position maintaining means when in the non-maint-aining position permitting said switch operator to be automatically operated to the initial position by said biasing mea-ns upon release of said switch operator by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to the associated position.

6. A switch according to claim when said switch operator is in each of said four operating positions said switch operator 'being movable as a unit back to said initial position before said switch operator can be moved to another of said four operating positions; and each of said four contact devices comprising resilient means operating when said switch operator is moved from the associated operating position to said initial operating position to return the associated contact operator from the depressed position thereof to the extended position thereof.

7. A switch comprising support means; said support means comprising a front support part and a back support plate; four contact devices; each of said contact devices comprising an insulating housing, a stationary contact structure on each of said insulating housings, a movable Contact structure movably supported on each of said insulating housings and movable between an open operating position and a closed operating position relative to the associated stationary contact structure, a contact operator movably supported on each of said insulating housings and movable from an extended position extended from the associated housing to a depressed position against the bias of the associated spring means to move the associated movable contact structure from one to the other of said operating positions; securing means securing said four insulating housings between said support part and said back support plate; and a switch operator supported on said support means in an initial position and being movable between said initial position and four separate operating positions to operate said four Contact operators.

8. A switch according to claim 7; said switch operator being supported for pivotal movement on said front support part; and means restricting said switch operator for movement such that in front elevation said handle appears at the center of two perpendicular intersecting imaginary straight lines in the initial position thereof and in front elevation said handle appears in the four operated positions thereof at north, south, east and West positions on said imaginary perpendicular intersecting straight lines.

9. A switch according to claim 8; said switch operator comprising an elongated member pivotally supported intermediate the ends thereof on said front support part over said back support plate; said handle being at the front end of said switch operator on .a first side of said pivot; a position maintaining member movably supported on the back end of said switch operator on the back side of said pivot; spring means biasing said position maintaining member on said switch operator toward said back plate; means limiting the movement of said position maintaining member on said switch operator toward said back plate; four position maintainers on said back plate to cooperate with said position maintaining member at the four positions of said switch operator; each of said position maintainers being movable from a maintaining position to a non-maintaining position; each of said position maintainers in the maintaining position thereof being in the path of movement of said position maintaining member to engage said position maintaining member in maintaining position against the bias of said spring means to thereby maintain said switch operator in the associated position upon release thereof by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to the associated position; and each of said position maintainers in the nonmaintaining position being disposed such that the position maintainer does not engage the position maintaining member in a maintaining position.

10. A switch according to claim 9; said back plate having four threaded openings therein; each of said position maintaining members being threaded into a different one of said four openings; each of said position maintaining members being manually rotatable from the back of said back plate to be moved axially between the maintaining position thereof and the non-maintaining position thereof.

11. A switch according to claim 1, said maintaining means comprising a position maintainer and a positionmaintaining member, said position-maintaining member being supported on said switch operator, said position maintainer being supported on said support means in a maintaining position in the path of movement of said position-maintaining member to cooperate with said position-maintaining member to maintain said switch operator in said rst position, said position maintainer comprising an externally accessible part accessible from outside of said support means, said externally accessible part being operable to move said position maintainer out of said maintaining position whereupon said biasing means will automatically move said switch operator from said first position to said initial position upon release of said switch operator in said tirst position by a worker who has manually moved said switch operator to said rst position.

12. A switch according to claim 11, and said position maintainer comprising a screw member supported in threaded engagement on said support means with said externally accessible part being the screw head of said screw member accessible to permit rotation of said screw member during which rotation said position maintainer moves axially on said support means out of said maintaining position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,510,068 9/1924 OMalley 1 200--6 1,865,697 7/1932 Karrer 200-6 I FOREIGN PATENTS 1,010,136 6/1957 Germany.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

H. I. HOHAUSER, Assistant Examiner. 

